All Too Familiar
by PetiteLumiere
Summary: One day at the lake Chihiro is reminded of a childhood dream or was it real... Somebody needs her, but why does it seem so familiar? Why do they need her? This is my first Spirited Away fanfic since seeing the movie a long long time ago.
1. A morning at the lake

**All Too Familiar:**

**A Morning at the Lake**

Chihiro woke up one morning to the sounds of birds singing and her mother cooking downstairs. It was the beginning of summer and the first day that she had been able to sleep-in in months. Opening her eyes slowly she could have sworn she say a tiny, funny-looking bird on her window sill. After blinking a few times though, Chihiro was convinced it was only the wind blowing through her white curtains and the sleep in her eyes. She got up quickly and got dressed, eager to enjoy her first day of holidays.

As she closed the door to her room, Chihiro smelled the sweet aroma of pancakes and eggs and hurried downstairs to greet her mother.

"Good morning, sweetheart" her mother said happily as she served Chihiro a dish of pancakes.

"Wow mom, these look great!" Chihiro replied as she started eating her breakfast.

"So, what are you going to do today?"

"Liea, Maki, and I are going to go to the lake to go swimming. It's so nice out today, it'll be perfect. I need to make some food to bring though." Chihiro said.

Chihiro's and her mother packed some rice-wraps for the picnic and Chihiro ran out the door to meet her friends.

Liea and Maki are the kind of friends who you know, if they only saw it, should be dating. And Chihiro was all too ready, to give them some alone time after she finished eating. So, while they were finishing their lunch, Chihiro went for a swim in the lake.

It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and a light breeze was rustling through the leaves of the trees that surrounded the small lake. As she waded through the water casually, she thought she say that awkward bird again on some rocks near the beach.

'It's nothing' Chihiro thought to herself and continued swimming farther out into the middle of the lake.

She dove down into the water and spotted many plain silver fish swimming about. Suddenly she saw a flash of white rush past her underwater. Chihiro let out a gasp, but no sound came out, she started choking on the water, and tried, madly to swim to the surface.

When Chihiro broke the surface she looked around frantically, expecting to see some sign of whatever had been underwater. She saw nothing. A little frightened, Chihiro swam towards the rocks she had seen earlier. Pulling herself out of the water, she sat on the warm rocks for a while gazing at the small stream that trickled into the much greater lake.

Chihiro laid back on the rocks and found herself dozing in the summer sun. The wind was picking up, rushing through her hair, and then she heard it…

"Chihiro…"

A voice that sounded all too familiar.

"Chihiro, we need you"

Her eyes shot open.

"Chihiro, I need you…"

Chihiro sat up, looking for the source of the eerie calling. Glancing out on to the lake, she saw a flash of white streak across the sky. In a second it was gone. 

Standing up slowing, Chihiro returned to her friends. Liea told her that she had been worried, Maki was out looking for her.

"Where have you been, Chihiro?" Liea asked.

"Just swimming, I laid down on those rocks for a while. I wasn't gone for that long was I?"

Maki walked up to them and asked Chihiro the same questions. Tired, they decided to head home for the rest of the afternoon.


	2. Remember me

Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Remember me.**

Walking home as the sky slipped from bright blue to shaded night, Chihiro thought about her day at the lake and tried to remember a world that felt like a dream. The flash of light in the summer sky and that voice...

As she reached her driveway Chihiro noticed the small bird from that morning perched on her mailbox. She was sure that the bird watched her as she walked passed the mailbox.

When Chihiro reached her front door she turned back. The bird was still there, standing as though it were waiting for something. Chihiro quickly unlocked her door and slipped into her house.

In the morning Chihiro woke to the sound of light rain. Glancing at her windowsill she did not see the odd, little bird from the day before. Looking at the clock, she almost screamed.

It was 8:13.

And she had to be at work at 8:30 that morning!

Frantically, Chihiro pulled on her uniform and tied back her hair with a delicate purple hair tie. Hurrying out her front door with a bagel and umbrella in hand Chihiro almost walked right by the young man waiting next to her mailbox. But she stopped, and turned on her heel to face him.

He looked familiar, but she couldn't say how. He stood in the rain without getting wet. His eyes were field-green and his hair had a tinge of darkness to it. She seemed to fall up and into his eyes.

"Do I know you?" She asked awkwardly, still falling.

"Of course you do, I'm Kohaku. Remember?"

"No. But I have to run, I'm late for work. I'm very sorry." Chihiro responded, already hurrying away.

Chihiro glanced at her watch. 8:27!

She started to run but as she passed the town square she had to stop. There were huge pigs everywhere. She was surrounded and couldn't move past them. Looking around, Chihiro saw dozens of others in the same predicament and she was only 20 meters from the restaurant. So she stood there, holding her little umbrella as the sky crashed down on her and the myriad of pigs.

Nervously looking at her watch again, Chihiro realized that she was late and there was nothing she could do. Looking around hopelessly she saw her manager caught a few pigs away looking frantic.

"It's chewing on my new shoes!" He cried when he noticed Chihiro who could do nothing but laugh now.

Suddenly, the pigs all looked up and behind her. There was that boy again. He whistled and the pigs disappeared. Completely vanished into thin air. He walked up towards Chihiro and asked her again.

"You're sure you don't remember me?" He stared intently into her eyes.

_A summer's day, long ago… On the top of a hill… looking down onto a red roof. Crying, lost… and a boy… A boy… _

"You… were there." Chihiro said, still lost in her daydream.

"And you should be over there, Chihiro… in my restaurant working and serving people breakfast after this ordeal. I don't think they'll even want breakfast. Stupid pigs!" Her manager snapped.

"I have to go…" Chihiro explained.

During her shift, Chihiro walked around in a daze, trying to remember anything else about the young man who seemed to be from a dream.

Her manager was right, nobody was interested in bacon, or sausages, or even eggs on toast. Her shift was over early and she left to go home.


End file.
